Process of preparing pulverulent materials for molding or briqueting.



ARI

Pnoozss o? @am AFPLGATIOH FILM.) AUG. 1l, 1908. 1,08

Wjign esse through the pipe 28, which contains a valve 29 for controlling the passage ot' fluid through said pipe. The operation of the pitch introducing apparatus will be dileront according to the preure and degrde of wctrcss ol the steam, or pressure of thc 'ater, it such alone is used, which enters the pipe 24. Water either alone or in wet steam will cause ebullition or bubbling of the pitch, producing pitch foam. Dry steam will not so alt'ect the pitch but it will simply he. blown in finely divided form into the mixing chamber rllhe details of operation ol the pitch introducing apparatus will be described later. The pitch introducing apparatus` is shown as delivering into the discharge end of the chamber 2, immediately above the oirening to the chamber 3, and the pitch is delivered out of the open end of the pitch introducing apparatus into the chamber 2.

The shafts in the three chambers are preferably rotated at a suliciently high speed to throw the finely divided material up against the top of the chambers from whence it is showered downwardly, thus maintaining the material in the chambers with its particles in a separated condition. In the chamber l the material will be effectively acted on by the het gases of combustion which ow through this chamber to the stack 10. In the chamber 2 the shaft is preferably run at a sutlicieut speed, so that the material is showered or kept in a separated conditiomthe binder being mixed with the pulverulent material by being blown through the latter 'when it is maintained in a suspended position and also to some extent by the stirring action of the blades thereon. The chamber 3 is employed for cooling the material. seas to bring the binding pitch to the degree of plasticity where the material can be most efectively molded or briqueted, and in this chamber it is also desirable that the material should be tossed or separated more or less.

In this third chamber there will be some mixing of the binder with the material, especially if ,the binder enters the mixing chamber 2 in the form of pitch foan In carryingout our process the furnaces i l5 and 17 connected with the chambers 1 and f 2 are lirststarted in operation so as to heat l ward -to its discharging end andis cooled.

up these. portion-s of the apparatus. After these chambers are sullicientl y heated the re. mainder of the apparatus is started in operation aud the furnace 17 in connection 'with the Uuuubcr may be shut down completelyA or partially since the heated materialdischarged into the mixing chamber 2 will to a great extent'. maintain its own temperature in the lat ter clmmbcr. The pulverulcnt matcrial is led to the drying chamber l in regulated quautitics in a continuous stream and in that chamber it is maintained with its particles in a separated condition and is Il slowly fed forward to the discharging and o the chamber, while the hot gases of f-.oinhus i tion travel through thc chamber to the str-.cl l0, drying and heating the separati-rd par l ticlcs of the material. The dried and lueate. material is delivered by gravity l'rom ila i drying chamber l to the receiving end olf thyA I mixing chamber 2. In this chamber a regulated quantityY of the binding material, c. coal tar pitch or asphaltum pitch is added to the material. 'lhe melted hitch is deliv ered continuously n regulatet quantities to the inner end of the pitch introducing apparatus to which is also continuously supplied a jet'. of steam. -The pitch ismaintaincd in the tank 26 in a heated and highly fluid condition and is so delivered to the introducing i al'lparatus and is blown from there i nto the chamber 2. In this second chamber the pitch is thoroughly mixed with the heated and dried pulverulent material by the beating and stirring action of the rotating blades and the material is at the same time slowly fed toward the discharging end of the chamber, where it is delivered nto the receiving end of the cooling cham er 3. When the pitch introducing apparatus is operated with water, either alone or contained in wet steam, the water unites with the pitch Iand produces ,a-largevolume of foam oi pitch which accumulates in the chamber 24; and runsI out-,or is blown out, bythe pressure ot' the steam, and falls upon the materialin the discharge end of the chamber 2, and in the receiving cn'd of the chanber 'The structure illus- 5 trated in Fig. l, employs a pipe 2S of considerable length. This pipe is connected fwith a sourcefof'- steam supply. There will g be more or less condensation in this pipe and by controlling the valve 29 the steam will 'd1-y, or in controllable degree of wetness.

effect on the apparatus will be to" merely -foam'the pitch. Kben under higher presthe pitch. IV hen the steam is entirely dry, l. which can be secured. by opening the valve l4 29 to a ,f {reater extent, the pitch will not be l teamed but will be atomized or blown in l'inely divided form into the chamber 2. In the latter chamber the material is fcdforsulliciently to bring the )itchtol thefcondition' of plasticity wheret e materialcan, be most effectively molded or'bri luetc'd The sired cooling ell'ect is brought'through this chamber by regulating the steam jet' in the stack 20 and also by controlling the damper 21.

I'Vhile we have shown three sect-ions of up? ratos in the drawing, one for drying '1;A fuit; ria?, one for mixing the binder with enter the pitch introducing apparatus,cithcr W'hen very wet and under little.- pressure, the

sure the ettect will be to both fou-m and blow Y required amount of air to pr uce the def-V lthe .a.iat.e1'ia.. and one for cooling the nii-:cd 1

1,084,920 Y i` a product, it is evident that two or more sections of apparatus may be used for each purpose; Fig. 3 illustrates such an arrangement. The chambers are arranged in the 5k manner already described, .at different' eleva- Y"tions,- and successively discharging one into fthe next. The' material enters the cham- .'-ber 1, through the chute or hopper 11, and

. passes from it to the chamber 1, the hot .gases Atraversing the chambers 1 and 1- from the flues 16 to the stack 10.4 The pitch introducing apparatus 23 connects with the discharging endof chamber 2. This chamrber is provided with heating 'lues 18 and discharges into the chamber 2 also shown as provided with heating fines 18. When the pitch introducing apparatus is used with steam pressure the .tine divided pitch Will bethrown longitudinal y a greater orpless 20 length of the 4 chamber 2 and a certain .;,."amount will drop. into the chamber 42.

When the pitchis foamcd and dropslinnto the chamber from the itch introducing Tapparatus it will enter tie chamber 2a at itsreceiving end and will be mixed with the nely divided material in that chamber.''

the pitch is foamed and then. blown`-rom the introducin apparatus part of it will enter the chain er 2 and part of it will enter -v vthe chamber 2 asdepends, upon,-conditions,4

and particularly upon the'pressure Aof the steam in the introducing. apparatus, and also upon the condition of the material, dry.

ness and temperature, and the s d of rotation of the mixing blades.. he materia-l passes from the' chamber 2f into the chamber 3, which is shown as provided with iiues "'18" and from the' chamber 3 to the chamber ,'3, which corresponds with4 the chamber 3 l.410 illustrated in Fig. 1. The furnace which communicates with the flues 18b may be used 4when 'Y necessary, although ordinarily the chambers-3 and 3" will be used for cooling purposes only. 45..v Between the stacks 10 and 20 are locatedV Aadditional Astacks 10c,v 10", '10 10, 'which A communicate respectively witl'fthe chambers l, 2, 2 and 3. These stacks connect preferably as shown near the inlet or an'- terior portin of each chamber. 'Each is" shown as .provided with a damper and steam. jet, similar to thosealready described iii connection `with the stacks 10 and 20. By means of these stacks and their controlling dempers and steam .jets the hot .gases of combustion from the fiues 16, 18, 18*l or 18b can be directed upward, and discharged from. any of the chambers.

The process will vary to some extent with the operation ofthe pitch introducing ap ar'atus.. When this apparatus-is used with ry steam and there 1s no v foaming operation, practically all of the mixing w'ill occur in the chamber 2, although some mixing t5 ,willjjoceur' in the chambery 2f. When the introducing apparatus is used asa foamer with low pressure steam, or water, or both, practically all of .the mixing will occur in the chamber 2", and the chamber 2 will have tlic same function as the chambers 1 -and 1a. In all cases the mixing continues in all of the chambers following that into which the binder is introduced, but it becomes less and less as the material reaches the discharging end of the chamber 3.

It is4 possible, by controlling the dempers linthe pipe 20 and stack 10, and in control ling the out-lets of the lines 16, 18, 18 and 18". to accommodate the apparatus to material in diierent conditions of temperature, dryness and neness. This is particularly desirable inbriqueting coal dust which will vary in these attributes within wide limits and during short periods of time. The apparatus can be regulated as will be apparent Witl'ioutjstopping its operation and without hindering the progress of the material through lthe apparatus. Also by regulating the dempers and the steamvjets in the stacks 710', 10, 10, and 10f, the hot gases .can be caused to pass through the chambers in any direction and to anl extent For example,

-should it be found t atl the chamber 1 is too het, the damper 10'* may .be closed,` and the damper in the .stack 10c opened.- The hot gases from theV Hue 16 will then pass out through the stack 10 and will not enter the chamber 1. I Should it be desired to cause the hot gasesl to traverse the ap aratus in the opposite direction, then all o the dampers, except that n the pipe 10 could be closed, and the hot gases would then traverse the chambers l", 2, 2, and pass out through the stack 10. If the dempers or steam jets in the other stacks are suit-ably controlled the path lof the hot gases would accommodate itself accordingly. If desired the cold air shaft canbe made through the stack 10 bly 'opening the damper in that stack and by c osing the damper' 21 in the stack 20, and thenby ine-ans of the steam jet, or damper in the stack *10' cold air can be drawn in through the elevator pit 19 and discharged upward through the stack 10.

Under some conditions fairly goed results can be obtained without the use of any cooling chamber and by delivering the mixed material directly from the mixer to the molding or briquet-ino` pressesf It has been found essential that t e material should be thoroughly heated'before the'pitch is added to it, and it is desirable tohave the material dry, as we have found that dry inaterialxrequires less heat than damp material to secure the properk adherence of the I'pitch with theparticles. When the material is very Wet, additional furnaces may be added to the dryin chamber, or chambers, preceding the mixing chamber, or the number of drying chambers may be increased. so that the material may be properly dried and heated.

ln accordance with tht provisions ot the patent Statutes, we have described the principle oi our invention together with the device which we now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but we desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that 'the invention can be carried out in other ways.

Having now described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

l. The process of preparing pulverulent materials for molding or briqueting`r consisting in first subjecting the purverulent. material to heating and drying gases while the material is maintained with its particles in a separated conditiornthen mixing the binder with suchdried and heated material and finally7 subjecting the material to a cooling medium to reduce. the binder to the plastic condition, substantially as set forth.

` 2. The process of preparing pulverulent materials for molding or briqueting, consisting in rst subjecting the material to heating; and dryingr gases wnlle the material is maintained with its particles in a separaten conditiom then mixing the. binder with the. dried and heated material and then tossing or showering thel combined material in a. chamber through which air is drawn toire- `nico the temperature of the binder to the point of plasticity, substantially as set forth.

3. The process of preparing pulverulent l materials for molding or hriqueting, consistinfor in first subjecting the material to heating and drying gases while itsl particles are maintained in a separated conditiom and j subsequently mixing the binder with the dried and heated material, substantially as setforth.

ft. The process of j'neparinsY pulverulentl materials t'or molding or briqueting, consisting in first subjecting the material to heating and drying gases while the material is maintained with its particles in a separated condition, and then mixing the binder With the dried and heated material by the action of stirring blades upon such material and binder. substantially as set forth.

5. rl`he process olE preparing pulverulent materials for molding or briqueting, consisting in irst subjecting the material to heatingand drying gases while the material is maintained with its particles in a separated condition, then mixing the binder with the dried and heated material by stirring the binder therein, and then cooling the material to the point where the binder is plastic by tossing lit in a chamber through Which air is drawn, substantially 'as set forth.

1 This specification signed and witnessed this 7th day of August, 1908.

ELLSWORTH B. A. ZWOYER. ROLLAND A. ZWOYER.

Wtnesses VIRGlL H. Hnwns, FRANK NEET. 

